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December 4, 2006
GM Wins First Place in Blue Sky Concept Design
Photo: General Motors' West Coast Advanced Design Studio in southern California produced this entry, the HUMMER O2 Concept, for the 2006 California Design Challenge contest whose theme this year is Environmental Sustainability. The HUMMER O2 two-dimensional Blue Sky Concept offers rugged capability, a 'tread lightly' contact system and construction methods promoting safety, accessibility and re-usability. For example, the HUMMER 02 Concept features a revolutionary phototropic body shell that produces pure oxygen throughout the lifespan of the vehicle. Algae-filled body panels transform harmful carbon dioxide into pure oxygen that is subsequently released back into the environment and inside the vehicle. Four modular and self-contained fuel cells power hydraulic motors are built into each wheel, and to reduce environmental impact, the HUMMER O2's construction utilizes 100 percent post-consumer materials.
LOS ANGELES – GM Advanced Design has won the Los Angeles Auto Show’s Design Challenge for the second year in a row. This year’s winning entry is a two-dimensional rendering of a 2015 Blue Sky Concept that addresses environmental sustainability. Called the HUMMER 02, this design proves that daily use of a vehicle could result in a net gain for the environment.
The 2006 Design Challenge theme is Environmental Sustainability, a challenge for design studios to transform the future of driving into an environmental experience. Contest guidelines also required that vehicle entries be 100-percent recyclable and have a maximum lifespan of just 60 months.
Photo: Members of the General Motors' West Coast Advanced Design Studio team stand with a graphic of their winning entry, the HUMMER O2 Concept, at the Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge Thursday, November 30, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Members of the team include (l to r) Loren Kulesus, Jussi Timonen, Jose Paris, Steve Anderson and GM West Coast Advanced Design Studio Director Frank Saucedo.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. With global headquarters in Detroit , GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall.
Designers at GM’s West Coast Advanced Design Studio in Southern California tackled the far-reaching challenge – to develop a concept that resulted in a net gain for the environment. The GM team crafted an entry that surpasses the contest’s sustainability principles: the HUMMER O2 Concept.
“The HUMMER O2 epitomizes the ethos of the true Southern California outdoors enthusiast with rugged capability, a ‘tread lightly’ contact system and construction methods promoting safety, accessibility and reusability,” said Frank Saucedo, director, GM Advanced Design in California . “Most vehicles in L.A. spend 95 percent of their time outdoors subjected to sunlight, so why couldn’t a vehicle give back?”
To fully understand the HUMMER O2, the GM team believes that terms commonly associated with ecology and biology work best.
Photosynthesis
The HUMMER 02 Concept features a revolutionary phototropic body shell that produces pure oxygen throughout the life of the vehicle. Algae-filled body panels transform carbon dioxide into pure oxygen that is subsequently released back into the environment and inside the vehicle.
“The panels essentially function as the ‘leaves’ of the HUMMER O2 and effectively clean the air in the surrounding environment,” said Saucedo. “Used algae are recycled as biomass for the further production of energy.”
Breathing
The HUMMER 02 promotes the production of oxygen by a two-way valve system in the corner of each panel. The sophisticated devices control and monitor the amount of carbon dioxide and source nutrition needed for the algae cultivation while optimizing oxygen production and distribution.
Energy
Four modular and self-contained fuel cells power hydraulic motors built into each wheel. A hydrogen tank is placed in an ideal central location for safety and structural purposes, becoming the “heart” of the vehicle.
Footprint
Active Tread TM tires provide low resistance on the highway while allowing excellent off-road progress as their shape changes – adapting to and protecting the surrounding environment.
Structure
Finally, to further reduce environmental impact, the HUMMER O2’s construction specifies the use of 100-percent post-consumer materials, including an aluminum frame, seats finished with Volatile Organic Components-free (VOC-free) materials and glazing via PETE (similar to everyday consumer packaging, such as soda bottles).
The GM West Coast Advanced Design Studio won the 2005 Design Challenge competition with its GMC PAD Concept, a mobile urban loft designed for the L.A. environment.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:05 PM | Link to this Post
